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Highly combustible lithium -ion batteries used in electric and hybrid vehicles are complicating cleaning efforts in the neighborhoods of Los Angeles devastated by Forest fire damage.
Phase 1 of the federal cleaning is underway, since the surveyors of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) work to eliminate and eliminate hazardous materials, including lithium -ion batteries found in carbonized vehicles and decimated homes. The EPA warned that the batteries should be considered “extremely dangerous”, even if they are believed to be intact, and “it can turn on, exploit and spontaneously emit toxic gases and particles even after the fire comes out.”
Las Palisadas and It is estimated that Eaton Fires later requires the “largest lithium -ion battery truck, cleaning, which has happened in the history of the world,” said the EPA commander Steve Calanog to local KNBC. He explained that eliminating lithium ion batteries, even those that do not seem damaged, of fire remains require “sophistication and technical care”, such as hazardous material equipment find and disionize batteries so that they can be crushed or sent safe for elimination.
“We do not know the long -term effects of all this exhibition, and we have not seen this on this large scale and in these many electric vehicles,” said Fire Captain of the City of Los Angeles, Adam Vangerpen, to KNBC. “This is an unprecedented amount of electric vehicles with lithium -ion batteries there.”
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A car that was destroyed by the Eaton fire is marked as a non -electric vehicle and that does not contain large EV batteries on January 29, 2025, in Altadena, California. (David McNew/Getty images)
According to the California Energy Commission, more than 99,000 zero emission vehicles were sold in Los Angeles County only in 2024, including electric vehicles, hybrid plugs and fuel cells.
The Tesla Models and, 3 and Cybertruck were the three main zero broadcast models sold in Los Angeles County last year, according to the online account of the commission.
The authorities warn that the residual heat raises danger for days, weeks and even months after the initial fires, which can make lithium ion batteries combine spontaneously.
“With lithium -ion batteries, even if they seem intact, they could suffer damage inside, so they continue to gasoline and gas outside these batteries can be toxic to their health,” Vangerpen said.
In addition to electric and hybrid vehicles, lithium -ion batteries can be found in personal electronics, vapeo devices, electricity tools and energy storage systems, which have become increasingly popular during energy cuts during the power cuts of California.
Burned vehicles in the Altadena Auto Center after Eaton’s fire in Altadena, California, on January 20, 2025. (Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg through Getty Images)
President Donald Trump toured the Palisades fire burning area on Friday. Your executive order issued that same day for Provide water resources In California and improving the disaster response will allow the EPA to “complete its mission of hazardous materials that responds to the forest fires of Los Angeles, California, as soon as it is practical,” said the EPA in a statement on Monday. “The EPA work that eliminates hazardous materials is phase 1 of the federal cleaning response.”
“According to the EPA Incident commander, there will be more than 1,000 people who work in cleaning phase 1 for this weekend, “the statement continued.” This work, carried out free of to prevent these materials from being released to the environment. ”
Some of the thousands of houses destroyed by Eaton Fire, on January 29, 2025, in Altadena, California. (David McNew/Getty images)
Phase 2, which automatically begins once phase 1 is completed, will imply the elimination of debris and will be coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
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“According to President Trump’s leadership, the EPA is doing everything within our power to accelerate the cleaning of dangerous debris and helping to provide Californians safer access to their property as soon as possible,” said the interim administrator From the EPA, Chad McIntosh, in a statement. “With the executive order of President Trump, he has authorized a whole government response to catastrophic forest fires in Los Angeles, an effort that had never been seen before. The EPA is working with local, state and federal partners, in addition to the private sector To help.
